Stem cell injection offers fresh hope for MS sufferers

Stem cell injections can reverse the crippling effects of multiple sclerosis, a study published today says.

Four out of five adults in the early stages of MS who were injected with stem cells taken from their bone marrow saw an improvement in symptoms after three years.

The rest of the patients saw their condition stabilise.

Dr Doug Brown of the MS Society said: 'These are very encouraging results and it is exciting to see that in this trial not only is progression of disability halted, but damage appears to be reversed.

'Stem cells are showing more and more potential in the treatment of MS. The challenge we now face is proving their effectiveness in trials involving large numbers of people.'

Evidence previously had showed stem cell treatment could stabilise MS but had not suggested it could reverse the condition.

MS is the most common disabling neurological condition, affecting around 85,000 people in the UK. Damage to myelin - a protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres --leads to difficulties with sensation and muscle control.

The study was designed to see whether injections of stem cells from bone marrow would migrate to parts of the nervous system damaged by MS and repair them.

Among the 21 men and women in the trial, aged between 20 and 53, 17 had improved on a scale of disability after three years. None of them reported a worse score.

The report in The Lancet Neurology medical journal today says the technique suppresses cells that cause damage and effectively 'resets' the immune system.

Study leader Dr Richard Burt of Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, said: 'It is a feasible procedure that not only seems to prevent neurological progression, but also appears to reverse neurological disability.'